Captain Starman: Day of Liberation
by Tamahashi
Summary: The Starmen have been enslaved by Giygas and forced to do his bidding for hundreds of years. Now, at last, they are free…Captain Starmen and his crew just want to get back to the home world and reconstruct their society but unfortunately it won't easy.


Captain Starman: Day of Liberation

Written by Heavily Armored Hamster

A tall figure that seemed to be made of flexible metal came running into the room, waving his yellow limbs, clenching a piece of paper in one of his tentacle like hands. He stopped in the middle of the bridge to catch his breath and used the moment to quickly scan the room for the captain. Sure enough, the captain was predictably situated in the center command area. He slowed a little as he began to approach his esteemed commander.

The Captain seemed to be completely absorbed in the half-cylindrical wall of computer screens, gazing at one screen and then jumping instantly to another. The messenger paused when he saw the captain's look of deep concentration. The Captain pointed to a position on the map and began to speak, although the messenger was fairly certain that he had no real idea of who he was talking to.

"Look here," He barked. "Another of our bases have stopped sending the hourly Situation analysis log and their communication systems seem to be functioning at 11%. We're now the only ship positioned at Earth that isn't completely crippled."

"Sir…I…I think I know why!" The Messenger quivered.

The Captain turned his gaze towards the messenger and the three spikes that adorned the peak of his head bent in annoyance. His outer layer quickly fluctuated to an even deeper shade of blue than usual.

"Well, what is it, Starman Messenger?" The Captain inquired.

"Captain Starman, we've just now received official documentation from Starmen Central that the Devil Machine suffered a massive overloaded and then ceased functioning. Since all of the Starmen ships and bases in the sector-ah, except us- are tied into the Devil's Machine, it would explain why exactly we're experiencing…These…err…Inconveniences."

Captain Starman stood up. "The Devil's Machine is no more? Do you speak the truth?"

Starman Messenger nodded rapidly.

The Devil's Machine was a device built to amplify Giygas' power, and in order to do such, it had to be directly connected to Giygas to function…But…The Devil's Machine had indeed been destroyed…

The captain now began to pace about the bridge and found himself at the observation screen, leaning on a railing. He stuck a tentacle into a small node on a metal box near a data port on the view screen. 

"Attention, Attention…This is a Level Omega Announcement for all Starmen within hearing frequency…Attention, attention."

His voice was now booming across every loud speaker in every functioning Starmen facility in the galaxy. Starmen from every walk of life looked up from what they were doing and listened to the announcement. As Captain Starmen continued to speak the level of pride showing through in his voice continued to increase.

"We have confirmation that the Devil's Machine is destroyed. This means that our Overlord and Dictator, Giygas, has been eliminated. We, the Starmen of the universe, are no longer slaves. We, the Starmen, are free! This day is the beginning of a new era for our civilization…Repeat, We have confirmation that the Devil's Machine…"

It was not necessary for Captain Starman to repeat his message for his words were completely drowned out by the cheering of Starmen across the galaxy.

***

Captain Starmen sat in his personal quarters, relaxed. One of his tentacles was wound deeply into a control panel and he was accessing all communications on the Starmen Communications Channel. There was rejoicing. A lot of rejoicing. However, it was understandable, seeing as how the Starmen people had been enslaved by Giygas 250 years ago and only now the horrible overlord was destroyed. Captain Starmen would of liked more than anything to enter into a channel and share the celebration with his people, but he was waiting for a more important message from a commanding officer-possibly even the Starmen Elder himself. He noticed a small red light blinking, indicating that someone was trying to iniate a channel with him. He accessed it and the screen was suddenly filled with the esteemed leader of the Starmen people. He was getting old now, at about 850-With the average life span of a Starmen being 1000, and his metal skin was completely bathed in an almost etheral white.

"It's a wonderful day," The Starmen Elder laughed, raising his tentacles in a stiff motion.

"That it is, old man. Looks like the day finally came…We're finally free," Captain Starman said softly.

"This may seem odd, but one of the first social priorities that happened immediately after our freedom was, well…Naming and re-naming. A lot of Starmen are shedding their designated titles for their former names. The Starmen that were born during the occupation are just now receiving a name from their parents…Or at least relatives that are still alive."

Captain Starmen grimaced. "Did you lose anyone in the war?"

"No, no…My family's long passed on, I'm afraid," The Starman Elder paused. "I ran into your parents today, oddly enough. They…They're still taking the loss of your brother harshly."

Captain Starmen looked down for a moment. 

"You know Captain Starman," The Starman Elder started. "I really should have tried harder to intervene with Giygas' orders to relocate your brother from a desk job to that position as fleet commander near Octon. I'm sorry, Captain Starman. He was a fine Starman…He could have gone so far…"

The Elder realized that they were treading on awkward grounds and quickly changed the subject.

"Well! Are you going back to your days of Whirrin? Or have you grown accustomed to the title of 'Captain'? "

Captain Starmen laughed. "My name might as well be Captain now…That name's nearly as famous as my old moniker was, in the pre-occupation days. I have a feeling I'm going to be called that, regardless of my wishes."

"Of course, of course," The Elder laughed. "You have always been a powerful icon if the Starmen. No one can claim to be as much of a freedom fighter as you. Heck, I think you're the only one who could voice your opinion to Giygas and not be eliminated."

"He would have liked to," Whirrin pointed out as he leaned back into his chair, relaxing. "Of course, he mostly wanted to exploit my image to create some twisted Pro-Giygas propaganda. 'Look Kiddies! Your hero serves me like a good little slave, you should too.'|"

The Elder nodded gravely. "Well, I'd like to share a glass of nutrients with you, but well…You're a long ways from the Homeworld. Care to hear your orders?"

"Bye all means."  
"Good. There is much to be done in the reconstruction of our society. Hear at the Homeworld my administration and I will handle most of the technical side, but there are many things our people must decide, as a people…And well, our people are scattered. Our first goal is a reunification of the Starmen. I'm sending out signals to every Starmen frequency, giving them one order: To return home. Whirrin, I'm leaving you in charge of making certain that all of the Starmen in the Earth Sector make it back in one piece."

Whirrin nodded. "Understood. Our Mothership should be able to accommodate a good number of Starmen, and I'll have to arrange a system of civilian ships…But yes, I think that I can handle that. Do you have a target arrival date in mind?"

"Yes, in fact," The Elder started. "The Summit Meeting of the Starmen World is scheduled to take place in exactly Four Standard Months. Do you think that's enough time for you?"

"It's a little tight, but I imagine that we can make it, if we hustle a little."

"Splendid, splendid! I will await your arrival. In the meantime, I have another large project for some of our engineers," The Starmen Elder said.

"The Giyan Array?"

The Giyan Array was a large weapon array that was built around the Starmen Homeworld as a warning sign. The Giyan Array was built by Giygas himself and was actually used on many occasions. It possessed a large laser cannon in its center that could create a devastating laser, wiping out towns that showed signs of resistance or rebellion. Giygas had also warned that he could turn the array towards their sun and cause it to go into an early super nova, destroying the Starmen's solar system. The Giyan Array was a brutal psychological blow to the Starmens, to know that their very species could be eliminated in minutes at any given time. 

"Yes," The Elder nodded. "It's a sticky situation…But I think our engineers can handle it. The last thing we want is for it to backfire on us, and I am certain that will be averted."

"Glad to hear. Now if you don't mind, elder, I'd like to get to work immediately."

"Understood…And Whirrin…Take it easy. Your Voyage home should be one of vacation. Try to get a little recreation and relaxation "

"I'll try my best, sir. Farewell," With that Whirrin terminated the communications link and the screen again began to show information on the various channels.

Whirrin sat for a moment in concentration. There were many things that needed to be done…And yet the temptation of free time was very enticing. He had done nothing but work for the last 250 years. This truly was a new beginning…

He sat back in his chair. 

He laughed. A soft chuckle, but a laugh none the less. How long had it been since he had last laughed at anything other than an enemy strategic error? He didn't know, but felt so refreshing…He laughed again. Yes, he thought to himself, he could get used to laughing…And joy, and happiness, and all the positive emotions of the spectrum.

***

The Starmen Messenger again found himself wandering the long hallways towards the bridge. As the doors swished open he was startled to find the intimidating form of Commander Starman towering above him, his crimson body shining an even brighter shade of red, clearly stating his anger.

"You're late, Messenger Starman," The Commander Starman barked.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…It's just that…Well, I received a communication from a person I knew back on the Homeworld, and..."

The Commandeer Starman began to shout at him, making him cower in fear. "I'm so sorry to intrude in your personal life. Was it a matter of more importance than the successful delivery of the information pad containing the data on the Starmen at the surface?"

"Well, ah, not exactly," The Messenger Starman choked. "But, ah, it was an old friend of the family, and he informed me that my parents died in the last Giyan Array burst. I'm sorry, Commander Starman."

The Commander Starman hesitated and folded his arms. He bent his head down in concentration and then muttered, "Well, that is a tragedy, I guess. However, try to be speedier in the future. Drop the "Starman" bit too. I will only be addressed as Commander Jrren."

The Messenger Starman nodded and started to walk back out the door when a feminine voice called to him. It was the Communications Officer for the Mothership, Chief Navigational Starman. Messenger Starman tried not to stare at her feminine 'hips' or the domes that outlined her shoulders where a male Starman's spikes usually were. 

"Yes, Communications Officer Starman?" The Messenger Starman choked.

"Please, I'm just Lllitchel," She laughed. "Just a minute ago you said that your family died in the last Giyan Array burst, right?"

The Messenger Starman nodded and Lllitchel continued, "Well, just by your height I can tell you can't be much older than 150. Your parents were never able to select a name for you, were they?"

The Messenger Starman shook his head sadly.

Lllitchel tilted her head a little, thinking. "Well…Tradition gets a little sketchy about there, doesn't it? What are you going to do for your name?"

"Uhh," The Messenger Starman breathed somewhat unintelligently.

Lllitchel clapped her tentacles together and exclaimed, "Well, how about you name yourself?"

Commander Jrren interrupted their dialogue with an angry tone. "Names are not something that you choose for yourself. Names and titles are something others determine and give you. I assure you that you would be an outcast if the Starmen knew you named yourself."

This horrified the Messenger Starman. "Well, I, ah…"

"Hmmm," Lllitchel mumbled, thinking to herself. "How about I name you? Would that be okay?"

The messenger Starman nodded excitedly.

"Okay…How about…Something from Earth? Earth had a wonderfully fascinating culture and their names were just beautiful. Let me think, remember a name I heard through the Communication Logs…How about…Ruffini?"

"Ruffini? That's an odd name, but it's nice. I like it. Thank you Lllitchel!" Ruffini gushed happily.

"Sounds like a female's name," Jrren snorted.

"Honestly Jrren, you have to lighten up now and then," Lllitchel said with a tone of annoyance in her voice.

"Yes…_Ruffini_," Jrren sneered as he said the name. "I approve of these plans. Run them by the chief engineer first, however. I'd hate for something horribly wrong to happen."

Ruffini nodded. "Can do, Jrren."

"Commander Jrren."

"Commander Jrren."

Ruffini gave a quick bow and then he left the bridge swiftly. Lllitchel paused for a few moments, making certain that Ruffini was a safe distance away from the bridge, then she turned to Jrren while radiating a disappointed expression.

"That was awfully insensitive of you," Lllitchel noted. "Poor little Ruffini must be in a horrible mess right now, with the sudden liberation and at the same time the death of his parents. You really ought to try to be a little more pleasant."

"Maybe," Jrren snorted. "During the Occupation of Giygas, there was no place for kindness aboard a ship…but those days are over, I guess. A bit of kindness might be in order…But I think it'll prove to be a difficult task to shed my cyclical side…I've rather grown accustomed to it."

***

Ruffini finally arrived in the Engine Chamber, the heart and soul of the mothership. Immediately after entering the large chamber the noises of hundreds of giant machines humming and whirring in their mechanical melody. The noise was loud and always bothered Ruffini but he noticed that the engineers that frequented the Engine Chamber didn't seem phased by it in the least. He always figured that the longer you spent in the noisy room the more tolerance you developed towards the background noise. Of course, Ruffini figured it would take an awful lot of time in the Engine Chamber for him to adapt.

He found the Head Engineer staring at a wall display, his tentacles wrapped inside the machinery, accessing data and inputting data of some type. The Head Engineer hadn't noticed his entrance. To Ruffini, the Head Engineer had always been a scary character of sorts. The Head Engineer was a very silent Starman and rarely spoke unless in a conversation and even then he had a habit of keeping things brief. When he talked, he radiated an aura of…Iciness, for lack of a better word. If he was a human and had a mouth, instead of radiating emotions, he'd probably be frowning. He was not mean in a cynical and pessimistic manner like Jrren, but seemed like he was burning with a silent and hidden fury.

He approached the Head Engineer Starman and presented him the data pad. The Head Engineer Starman didn't take notice at first and went about his procedure of entering data into an intricate looking program so Ruffini shook the pad a little, hoping that the movement would catch his attention. It did. The Head Engineer Starman turned slowly towards Ruffini and withdrew his tentacles from the node.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Head Engineer Starman, I have a data pad for you. It has something to do with how we're going to transport the Starmen on the planet down on Earth with only one functioning ship. I haven't read it. I, uh, didn't have time. Quick delivery, you understand."

Ruffini slapped himself inwardly. For some reason whenever he was around The Head Engineer Starman, the complete absence of small talk seemed to make him ramble. He guessed that it was probably just the universe trying to balance itself out, but every time, it made Ruffini feel idiotic. For some reason every time he spoke, Ruffini felt as if the Head Engineer Starman was making some criticism about him in his head. He could never shake that feeling, as much as he tried.

The Head Engineer took the data pad and started to look at it, squeezing the tip of his tentacle into a small node on the front of it, and started to scroll through the information. 

"My name is Orrick," He stated calmly, out of nowhere. "Refrain from referring to me by my former title."

"Sure, sure thing," Ruffini laughed. "My name's Ruffini now. My parents didn't give that one to me, of course. I was born after the start of the occupation, and you know, naming was outlawed. Today I found out my parents were dead…A Giyan Array incident…It's horrible, but the shock hasn't really set in yet…Too much to take in, you know? But my name, Lllitchel gave it to me and-"

"Please," Orrick said suddenly yet politely without looking up from the data pad. "I need to read this."

"Oh. Okay."

_I did it again, _Ruffini thought. _I acted like an idiot again. He probably thinks I'm a real wash out._

"The Starman that can't be accommodated on the Mothership will be placed onto smaller transport ships," Orrick read aloud. "These transport ships, structurally intact but incapable of flight, will be towed by the Mothership's tractor beams. All energy from the weapons systems will be diverted into tractor beam energy."

Orrick put the pad down and looked at the ceiling, thinking. Ruffini was about to ask if that was a good or a bad thing but held back. He'd already made himself look like a fool around Orrick once for the day, he thought bitterly.

"I've added a paragraph, but this looks acceptable. Tell the Captain I approve. However, the constant tractor beam will take a lot out of the Mothership," Orrick said at last.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Ruffini blurted before he realized the words had come out.

"Makes things unpleasant for me," Orrick rumbled.

"Oh. Okay. I'll run this to the captain immediately," Ruffini said, grabbing the pad as he ran off.

Orrick flinched as his tentacle was forced out of the data pad quickly. Ruffini probably wasn't even aware what he had done. Orrick shrugged off the pain and turned back towards the data panel.

***

Ruffini walked into the captain's room and noticed that he was broadcasting an aura of unusually high levels of happiness. This relaxed the normally frazzled Ruffini and he approached the captain's chair with an extra ounce of calmness.

"Here's the data pad, Captain. Commander Jrren and Head Engineer Orrick have both approved it. Now all we're waiting is for your word," Ruffini chirped.

"Thank you, Messenger Starman. I'll send a message immediately to have things put into motion," Captain Whirrin said as he swiveled in his chair, now facing the wall of control panels.

"Actually sir, I have a name now. I am Ruffini."

The Captain looked over his shoulder, briefly making eye contact. "Ruffini, eh? Sounds like something out of Earth. Nice name, though."

"It did sir," Ruffini said as the Captain was sending a simple text message. "Lllitchel actually gave it to me-"

Ruffini's words were cut off as the lights in the room began to fade and the panels instantly blinked off. Captain Whirrin gave a grunt of pain as he quickly retracted his tentacle from the machine the panel that he just been using. Both Captain Whirrin and Ruffini stood up and looked about in alarm. Almost as soon as the lights had faded, the lights turned back on and the wall was once more lighted with displays. Captain Starman angrily stomped off to a panel by the door and stuck his tentacle in.

"Captain Whirrin to Engineering," Whirrin breathed. "Can you explain to me exactly what in the _Urrun-ji_ just happened here?"

"I'm not certain, captain," Orrick said in a troubled tone. "I've already in the process of a system analysis and I don't see anything abnormal."

"Well, something obviously is," Captain Whirrin said with a hint of annoyance.. "Scan the ship every way you know how, Orrick. If something's wrong with the ship, I want it fixed before we start our voyage back to the Homeworld. I don't want the ol' Mothership to break down in the middle of space."

"Aye, Captain," Orrick said before terminating the communication. Captain Whirrin withdrew his tentacle and braced himself on the desk like structure before him, hanging his head down in concentration.

"Umm, I'm going to head to the bridge now, captain. I have a feeling that I'll have a good deal of errands to run," Ruffini stammered.

"Good luck, Ruffini. Your messenger days are almost over, aren't they? Have you thought of a division you'd like to apprentice under?"

"Not yet, sir," Ruffini breathed.

It's true. Ruffini only had less than half a year before his messenger days would be over and he was racking his mind over what field to go into. For some reason, that was the only question any of the older Starmen could ask him at this moment. Ruffini could see that his captain was about to speak again and he cringed. He didn't want to hear another 'look deep into your starlight for the answers' comment. Those always embarrassed him…

"Don't go into command," Captain Whirrin grumbled mostly to himself.

Inside, Ruffini was a little relieved. A few seconds passed. Ruffini realized that he really should be going back towards the bridge and closing his eyes he envisioned all of the messages that must be waiting to fly around the ship, a buzz with technical problems and other complaints after the ship's little hiccup. He walked to the door and found his face smack again it. 

He stared at the door, confused and startled. He'd never seen a door not open automatically for a Starman a few steps before reaching it. He felt around on the door a little with cautious tentacles but couldn't find anything. The young messenger decided that maybe the door needed a little push to get going, but unfortunately that didn't work either. He turned to the captain, who's back was turned to him, and stood there with an embarrassed frown.

"Sir?" Came a perplex Ruffini.

"Yes, Ruffini?"

"The door isn't working. I can't leave."

Captain Whirrin turned around to see the young Starman's dilemma but all he saw was Ruffini standing at the door, looking worried. Whirrin took a few steps towards the door then walked beside the door lengthwise, hoping to trigger the motion sensor detector but to no avail. He then removed a small triangular patch at the base of the door and stuck a tentacle in and felt around.

"It's not responding. I can't even open this thing manually," Captain Whirrin said, half frustrated, half amazed.

"This is very strange," Ruffini mused aside.

Captain Whirrin tried to access the communication panel once more and this time opened multiple channels, including channels to Communications Officer Lllitchel and Head Engineer Orrick, and commander Jrren.

"Something's very wrong," Captain Whirrin breathed. "I wouldn't mind an explanation, if any one has anything to offer."

"No one can leave the bridge," Lllitchel said with degree of concern apparent in her voice. "The light on the bridge has dimmed itself, as well, almost as if it's night. The communications system is still online, though. I guess we're not completely out of luck."

"How's Jrren handling things down there?" Whirrin asked.

"Jrren? I figured he was with you. He's not on the bridge presently," Lllitchel responded.

"He's not in engineering," the voice of Orrick interjected. "Besides the problem of our missing second in command Jrren, I'm afraid I have more bad news for you. Someone has accessed the manual sealing protocols. Every door on this ship will not open until the locking order is reversed."

"My second in command is missing and my ship's locked tight. I don't like this at all," Whirrin grumbled.

The ship gave a jolt and then the hum of the engines became apparent again.

"We're moving!" Shouted an excited Ruffini, bracing himself on the desk structure.

Captain Whirrin slammed a tentacle onto the desk and thundered, "We have been hijacked! I will not allow this little escapade to continue any further. I want answers now." 

Whirrin motioned to Ruffini, who got the picture immediately and placed a tentacle into the console to keep it form terminating the channel as Whirrin withdrew his. Captain Whirrin began to rummage about in the desk, pulling out a large box that he then proceeded to attach to his chest.

"Good news, Captain," Orricks voice blurted suddenly. "During our hijacker's last accessing of the main power grid, I was able to trace his exact location. He's in the Mothership's core."

"The Core?" Shouted Whirrin as he opened the box and began to take out a few items.

"Bad news captain," A discouraged Lllitchel sounded. "Our ship is entering the atmosphere of Earth…Our exact destination is unclear, but judging by the way things are looking, I'd say a safe bet would be the country of Eagleland."

"I've decided," Captain Whirrin breathed. "We can only access the ship's core from the ship's four main axial hallways. The doors to the core will be impossible to open in this state of maximum security our little friend has declared, so we'll have to use the ventilation ducts. Lllitchel-assemble the bridge crew and head towards the core in your direction, Orrick from yours. If the three of us can time our entrance well enouch, me might be able to catch our opponent in a triangular formation. We should be able to take him on, then.

Jrren, I'm not certain if you are receiving this message, but if you are, and it is possible, attempt to access the core as well-preferably from the science axial hallway. Is our plan clear?"

"Sounds good," Orrick whistled. "The doors will only open by explosive. For minimal ship damage, destroy as few doors as possible."

"I'll do my best," Lllitchel said. "We should contact each other again before entering the ventilation ducts, though. Just to make certain we're not too scratched up."

"Yes, good point. Now, until our next communication, Captain Whirrin out…And good luck."

"Right. Terminating link now," Ruffini stuttered as he withdrew his tentacle from the console.

Captain Whirrin clutched the small triangular object he had removed from the metal box attached to his chest and laid a tentacle on it, radiating the right frequency to activate it. He then gave it a good toss and it went sailing through the room and exploded on impact with the door, leaving a crack large enough for a Starman to crawl through. Captain Whirrin opened the box once more and took out two metallic cones. He placed one of them onto his left tentacle and activated it. The Disrupter Cone was an attachment that could fire a certain type of beam that worked well as a physical attack. He twisted a knob on the cone and set it to Level 67. He then turned to Ruffini who was lost in a daze in the corner of the room and offered him the other Disrupter Cone.

"Here, Take this. You just might need it," The captain called as he tossed the cone to Ruffini.

"Wha…? Are you certain we need these? I've uh, never actually used one," Ruffini mumbled as he examined the cone before slipping it on.

He looked up to see the captain already through the gap and motioning to him to follow.

"Oh, boy…" Ruffini muttered.

***

Down in the outskirts of Onnet, it was the obscure stretch of the early morning and try as he might, Ness just couldn't quite manage to fall asleep. He rolled about in his blankets, switching rapidly from side to side but the thoughts rolling around in his head refused to subside. For the past few months his life had been a crazy adventure with danger lurking steps behind him and steps ahead of him, but despite the horrors he had witnessed, he was never as disturbed as he was now. Maybe disturbed wasn't the right word…Maybe…Restless, anxious. 

His journey was over. He was going to have to just go back to being a regular boy again, drudging through mundane tasks such as school and yard work. He really wasn't looking forward to that after having experiencing the shear excitement of traveling the world. There were some perks to journey's end, though. He no longer had to fear for his life.

Ness decided that maybe he'd get up and read a little. He propped himself up on the side of his bead and turned his attention to his bookshelf, scanning for any titles that looked interesting. He remembered that before he had left on his journey he had been reading the most recent chapter in an on going science fiction series, _Those who Sought Revenge_, but as he flipped through the pages, he found himself feeling bored. Science Fiction stories just weren't that interesting after having lived through events that made many a Science Fiction tale blush in comparison. 

He picked out a book he he'd generally enjoyed reading. It wasn't that exciting, really-but he was hoping it might help lull him into sleep. It was a book three kids that were lost in the woods and had to find a way to survive. It read more like a technical document than a fiction story, though.

His thoughts were interrupted when the ceiling started to shake. He heard a loud crackling noise and noticed that a shape was being drawn into the roof. The line traced about in a curvy manner around the perimeter of the room. Ness, worried, grabbed his Legendary Bat and his backpack and got into a fighting stance. The light that was creating the outline finally met up with where it began and then the area enclosed in the shape disintegrated into ash, which rained down onto the floor. Ness closed his eyes and coughed in reaction.

When he looked out the gaping hole of his ceiling, his blood froze. There was a gigantic UFO hovering above the house. A hatch on the side opened and began to glow an eerie shade of green when without warning, it shot a beam of light into Ness's room, surrounding him like a spotlight. Ness then realized that his feet were no longer braced on the floor. He was floating. 

He struggled to turn around and grasp onto something but failed and realized he was flying towards the open hatch on the UFO at an alarming rate. He clenched his teeth and reluctantly stopped resisting the beam allowing it to transport him at it's own will. Within just a minute or so Ness had flown through the long stretch and was deposited in a long corridor. 

The corridor was dimmed and Ness had to squint to see make out anything, but he was definitely in a craft of extra-terrestrial origin. Oblong lights that dotted the sides of the hallway pulsed off and of, giving off a red glow, blinking urgently into the mysterious atmosphere. Ness thought he could hear a slow, labored clanking up ahead and slowly the silhouette of a large object became visible. As it stepped closer from the shadows Ness identified it as a robot with large, highly armored with bulky arms. It's torso was painted black with red stripes at it's joints, almost in camouflage in the darkened hallway.

"Human-entity-identified. Ness, Greetings. I-have-been-instructed-to-escort-you-to-the-core.. I-am-RN7000-and-am-dangerously-powerful. Please-refrain-from-Resistance."

Ness shook his head and called, "I'm sorry, but I'm not letting any robot just…'escort' me into a darkened area I don't know."

"I-have-been-instructed-to-escort-you-to-the-core," The robot repeated, as emotionlessly as before. "Please-Refrain-From-Resistance."

Ness lunged at the robot with his baseball bat and gave it a solid smash in the middle torso, but the robot did not seem phased. The robot rose an arm and fired a yellow energy beam at Ness, but he quickly summoned a psychic shield that absorbed the weapon. Jumping into the air, Ness shot a block of ice elemental energy at the robot and at contact the robot solidified completely. Hesitating, Ness paused for a few seconds, to see if the large block of ice would unthaw, but after a moment, he was reassured that the robot would not reanimate any time soon

"I don't like this," Ness whispered as he continued down the shadowed hallway.

***

Captain Whirrin and Ruffini crept through the hallways cautiously, their energy canons scanning the distance for any intruders.

"Who do you think is behind this?" Ruffini asked in a shaky voice.

"Don't speak," Captain Whirrin warned. "We would not want any third parties to hear us."

Captain Whirrin didn't like the tension in the air. He had a feeling that there was something else a little father on in the corridor, and the little red flashing lights only seemed to mock his uneasiness. They illuminated the corridor, but not enough to truly make out what was ahead, only to remind you where you were. The captain took a quick glance over his shoulder checking on Ruffini. He was handling the situation admirably, especially for somebody who never saw a battlefield during the Giygas Occupation.

The question of who could be behind this bothered Whirrin. The occupation had just ended and Giygas was just put out of commission. Right when the golden age of prosperity should be dawning he was stuck wandering the halls of his own ship as a hostage. Could there be no peace to life? Must something always come up? Had they not even left Earth and already encountered a new enemy?

A soft yet distant clanking noise became apparent to Captain Whirrin, who flattened himself against the wall of the corridor. Ruffini, who had either also heard the clanking noise or was merely imitating his captain, also flattened himself against the wall. The noise grew increasingly louder until finally the shape of a robotic soldier was seen, progressing towards them.

Captain Whirrin turned his head to Ruffini and flashed a menacing smile. Without any further warnings, Captain Whirrin leaped into the middle of the hallway blasting his Energy Canon at the robot, drilling it with bolts of synthetic psychic beams. After he had fired for a minute or two he realized that the Energy Canon didn't seem to have any effect on the robot. Worried, Captain Whirrin again showered the robot in a barrage of energy beams and he noticed in the corner of his eye that Ruffini was also firing at the robot.

"Cease-your-weapon-discharge. I-am-RN7001. The-Presence-of-Captain-Whirrin-is-noted. You-are-to-proceed-to-the-core. All-other-Starmen-onboard-are-not- allowed-to-pass.."

"Fiend! I give the orders around here. Now, explain to me who is behind this, immediately," Captain Whirrin growled.

"I-am-not-allowed-to-disclose-requested-information. Make-your-way-to-the-core-Immediately. The-master-requests-your-presence," The robot stated.

"Who is your Master?" Captain Whirrin asked simply.

"I-am-not-allowed-to-disclose-requested-information. Make-your-way-to-the-core-Immediately," The robot repeated.

Ruffini appeared by the captain's side and said, "Sir, I don't think it's any use talking to him. He seems like he isn't going to say anything further."

The looming robot slowly pivoted until he was facing Ruffini and began to thoroughly look him over.

"Only-Whirrin-may-proceed-to-the-core," RN70001 warned. "All-other-starmen-are-not-to-proceed.".

Captain Whirrin turned to Ruffini. "Return to the captain's room, Ruffini. These halls are most likely swarming with these drones. They don't seem to have a problem with me, but I cannot guarantee your safety."

Ruffini seemed hesitant. "Sir…"

Captain Whirrin shrugged. "Unless, of course, you'd rather go with."

Ruffini shook his head. "No sir. I'll be on my way. Good luck, captain!"

With that Ruffini sped off the way they had came and the robot seemed to ease a little and began to once again prowl slowly through. Captain Whirrin paused for a minute, worrying about Ruffini. He had this feeling that someday, if Ruffini were to actually gain some confidence in himself, he might be able to actually apply himself somewhere in the Starmen Space Force. He shook the thoughts out of his head and continued down the hallway in a slow, cautious pace. He knew that other drones would be wandering the hallways, but that's not what bothered him. Somewhere on this ship there was a hijacker-most likely in the core-but it was quite possible that he was not working alone.

As he snaked through the corridor, a wave of sadness washed over him. The last time he had crept through dimly light corridors on a dangerous area was when he had been placed in charge of a task force to enslave a small planet off the side of Hunaris. Within a day he had gone from being the puppet of an all powerful being and the lead tatitician of the Earth Invasion. Then suddenly he was a free man with a mission to return his people home from a summit meeting…And then the events connected in full circle, and once more he found himself smack dab in a military situation where the odds were not favorable. 

Captain Starman suddenly felt a wave of energy smash into his back, sending him onto his tentacles. He cringed inwardly at the stinging pain in his back and leaped up and spun around to face his attacker. It was a human, no doubt. Small, adolescent, male…Dressed in average human garb…Except…The hat…That was the mark of the leader of the Chosen Four, a prophesied human resistance group. 

"Ness," Captain Whirrin breathed. "I did not imagine to find you hear. I cannot beging to convey my appreciation-"

A ball of PSI shot from the boy's hands towards Captain Whirrin's head. Upon seeing the psychic projectile he dodged to the left. It seemed as if the attack was meant merely as a warning.

"Starman," Ness spat. "How dare you abduct me out of my own home in the middle of the night! Are you upset? Are you angry that your precocious Giygas has been destroyed? Are you upset that you lost Earth?"

Captain Whirrin blinked. "_Of course,"_ Whirrin thought to himself. "_Ness fought against some Starmen soldiers during his battles against Giygas. He probably assumed that the Starmen were voluntarily assisting Giygas…"_

"Explain yourself now!" Ness hollered as he shot another sphere of psychic energy in Captain Whirrin's direction, who promptly proceeded to dodge it as easily as the last attack.

"You've got it wrong, Ness. We Starmen have been enslaved by Giygas for two and a half centuries…We did not serve the cosmic destroyed by force. We are…thrilled incomparably by the downfall of Giygas, and grateful for all of your actions. You've freed us, Ness…" Captain Whirrin said, trying to convince the child.

"I don't believe you," Ness sneered. "Why have you abducted me? I want answers now!"

Captain Whirrin shook his head. "It was not I who kidnapped you-or any other Starman aboard this ship. The Starman Mothership has been hijacked by an unknown character, and I have a feeling the answer lies somewhere in the core of this ship. I would greatly appreciate it if you would join me on my way to the Core…"

"Extra-terrestrial scum! You're trying to lead me into the core, just like your robot drones! It's a trap of some kind-you're going to corner me, and…"

"No," Captain Whirrin interjected. "I am just as mystified by the robots as you are. Please, you have to trust me."

"How can I trust you? Your kind was constantly trying to kill me! And…One of your kind nearly did kill a certain person who means the world to me," Ness glowered.

"Let me think of a way," Captain Whirrin breathed.

Captain Whirrin's mind was racing, trying to think of a way to prove to the human child that his intentions were pure and that he was in fact innocent of the charges pressed against him. An ancient Starmen saying floated into his mind about that moment for some reason. He needed to find a way to show that he posed no threat, no danger…

An idea came to him.

"Ness, beneath my eye piece there is a patch of skin here," Captain Whirrin said as he pointed to a spot underneath his visor. "This is actually an intricite system that was implanted in me 250 years ago by Giygas and has been intertwined with what constitutes as my 'heart' and my central nervous system. When I remove this piece of false skin, A countdown will appear in my visor. When that timer reaches zero, I will be dead, and there will be no method of revivification. This was a safety measure Giygas installed in his slaves to ensure that they could not be interrogated or tortured for information."

Captain Whirrin gently placed a tentacle beneath his visor and felt around for a certain patch of skin, and then radiated a certain aura, causing the pin to pop out. He held the piece in his hand, gazing at it for a minute, and then handed it to Ness. The boy didn't want to accept it at first, but cautiously took it. There was a quiet beep and then numbers appeared in Captain Whirrin's visor.

2:00….1:59

"You're going to die now?" Ness asked.

"Yes. When the timer reaches zero, my vital systems will cease to function. That will be my end," Captain Whirrin breathed.

"You're a fool then. You've sacrificed yourself for nothing," Ness whispered, mystified.

"No, that's not necessarily true, Ness. That piece that you hold in your hand-if it is reinserted into the same spot, the timer will stop, and I will live."

"I see…I…I don't know what to do," Ness admitted, holding onto the bit while looking at Whirrin's visor, which read 1:35.

"Trust me, Ness," Captain Whirrin said, and then began to speak quickly. "There's an entity on this ship that has an agenda against me, and there is an entity aboard this ship that has an agenda against you, as evident by your abduction. Now, your PSI powers are extraordinary and mine are top notch as well. If the two of us join forces, then what ever the threat is, we'll end this day unscathed. What do you say? Do you trust me?"

"It could be a trick…An elaborate drama to convince me to join you on some perverse mission…"

"Trick or no Trick, I'm going to die in this state! If I am to die then you alone must solve the riddle of the force behind this, and you might be at a disadvantage without knowledge of the Mothership!"

"All right, all right! Take this!" Ness screeched, looking at his visor that now read 0:45.

"No, Ness. You put it back in. I've entrusted my life into your hands," Captain Whirrin breathed.

Ness fumbled with the bit of artificial skin and tried to place it into the cavity underneath the visor, but it wouldn't fit, so he twirled it around and then realized he had it in backwards. He placed it in right side up with 10 seconds remaining and then there was a pause…And then a soft click…And then the numbers in Whirrin's visor slowly faded away.

"My name's Whirrin," Captain Whirrin laughed as he extended a tentacle.

Ness was a little hesitant, but he accepted the tentacle and the two shared a firm handshake. 

"You sure have one heck of a way of making somebody trust you," Ness said.

"Trust between two people is something that takes time to forge…Sometimes I have to speed up the process a little," Whirrin said wryly.

The two continued on down the corridor, occasional passing by a RN Series drone or two, but the robots did not seem overly concerned with their presence. Captain Whirrin noted that Ness, although inside of an alien craft in such an atmosphere, did not seem daunted in the least. The duo traveled in silence through the axial hallway until eventually Ness broke the silence.

"You say that the Starmen were enslaved, and that your service to Giygas was not voluntarily…"  
Captain Whirrin Grunted. "That's right. The Starmen are a noble people, in a lot of ways. We would never associate with such a mad life-form as Giygas."

"Then why didn't you fight against him? Why did you just lie down and let him run the place?"

"You don't know the full story," Captain Whirrin said, keeping his cool. "We did fight. It was a planet wide war against the cosmic destroyer. Two hundred and Fifty seven years ago the entity known as Giygas appeared above our planet and tried to use his dark powers to influence us. However, our physique was not like a lot of the lifeforms in our galaxy. We are a unique species that is a fascinating combination of machine and organic material and our minds were not effected by such powers. So, he decided to use brute force. The Starmen were a young society back then, it had been a mere decade since we had taken our first leaps into space. Suddenly we were batteling against species far more advanced than us, species we didn't know, using technology we'd never dreamed of.

We fought against Giygas, just as the people of Earth did. The only difference is that at the end of the journey, at the end of the battle, we lost. It only took Giygas' forces seven years to overthrow our planet. Seven years of grueling defeats and horrible losses…Giygas enslaved us after that. We became top-level grunts for his army. We were forced to do some horrible things to other worlds and other peoples…To top off the horrible ethical pain we were feeling inwardly, Giygas constructed a device around our planet that could destroy it instantly, if he desired. It was horrible, Ness. Your planet is very fortunate not to have to under go a Giygan Occupation…"

"I don't understand, Captain Whirrin…If he was so totally in control of your people and you were all so miserable, and you did not want to inflict pain on the universe, why didn't your people merely sacrifice yourselves?"

"There was actually a large faction that wished to, but a group of scholars pointed to a legend that said a chosen four-three males and one female would overthrow the tyrant. This managed to provide just enough hope for us to hang on. I admit, though…I would never have imagine that of all the species in the universe, it would be the humans that would be the liberators…"

"A compliment, I'm sure," Ness grinned.

"Of course," Captain Whirrin said, also grinning.

The corridor ended and the human and the starman encountered a large wall. There were some panels on the wall that still seemed to be active. Captain Whirrin ran up to one and felt around somewhat blindly in the dimly lit room for the communications node. He slipped a tentacle in and initiated a channel to Jrren, Orrick, and Lllitchel.

"Jrren, Orrick, Lllitchel…Can either of you three hear me? I've reached the ventilation access and I'm ready to proceed. I am awaiting confirmation of your arrival in the corresponding axial hallways before I journey into the duct systems. I also have a guest with me, our liberator, Ness. Respond immediately, if you are in the area."

There was no response. Captain Whirren sighed and withdrew his tentacle. 

"Ness, listen to me for a minute. Originally, I was going to have some of my comrades infiltrate the Core from all sides, but it looks like that plan has fallen through. The two of us are still going to have to crawl through the ventilation ducts, however. I'll go lead, you follow."

"Okay," Ness acknowledged with a nod. 

Captain Whirrin started to crawl up a ladder attached to the wall of the spaceship and climbed until he hit a hatch in the feeling. He carefully felt about with his tentacle removing the screws holding the hatch in place and then finally pushing the hatch away with his two tentacles. With a groan he proceeded to crawl into the ventilation system. Now, being a fairly tall Starman, Captain Whirrin had to crawl on what would be his equivalent of hands and knees and bow his head down. Ness, still a child, also had to crawl through the ventilation ducts but did not seem to be in quite an uncomfortable situation as his partner. 

The two crawled onwards towards the core. Captain Starman had never actually been inside of the ventilation duct system before but he was rather confident that he knew the ship's layout well enough to guide himself to the core. As they were crawling the lights in the duct system suddenly turned on and panels on the wall started to glow a bright green. All around the two a voice began to speak.

"Safety Particle Sweep of Ventilation Systems has begun. Detecting bio-mass inside of ventilation system, leave the system at once or risk cleansing," the voice stated un-empathetically.

Captain Starman's eye visor shone a brilliant red and Ness asked, "Captain Whirrin, what does that mean?"

"It means," Captain Starman said as he began to crawl at a rate much quicker than before, "That a cleansing system of high powerful laser particles is about to sweep through the ducts, removing any waste materials or objects that could obstruct the ventilation. Anything caught in these particle beams will instantly be disintegrated, and this lovely safety mechanism just happens to turn on when we're inside of it."

"Then we'd better hurry," Ness said, mostly to himself.

Both Captain Whirrin and young Ness noticed a subtle increase in temperature around them. Ness did not need to ask the captain what the significance of this was-he knew that the beams were coming closer, their warmth spelling his potential death. As they raced through the ventilation system a loud humming noise filled the ducts. Quiet at first, but gradually growing lower as it neared their position. The humming started to become too much for Ness' human ears and he gave a shout of panic. 

Captain Starman stopped abruptly, causing Ness to bump into him.

"I'm right above a hatch that will drop us directly into the core," Captain Whirrin tried to shout above the humming. "Give me a minute and we'll be through!"

Captain Whirrin began to feel around the hatch for bolts and screws he could loosen, but Ness lost interest in this task quickly. He turned around and saw a wall of red lights moving towards him slowly. Every inch that the particles moved, the level of heat in the confined area leaped. Ness was suddenly powerless. All he could do was stare at the approaching lights with morbid fascination. He did not notice as Captain Whirrin finished removing the hatch and he did not hear as the Starman shouted at him, ordering him to drop through the hatch quickly. Finally, with little time remaining, Captain Whirrin wrapped a tentacle around one of the child's arms and gave a hardy yank, pulling Ness and himself down through the hatch.

The two landed with a thud on the metal flooring. The Core was mostly dark but in the center of the room was the cylindrical container that held the luminous green crystal that was the ship's power source. Everything in the room had an eerie green glow to it, giving the room a very surreal feeling to it. Captain Whirrin leaped up when he saw towering capsules that seemed to be filled with some unusual substance. He took a few steps closer and he realized that there were Starmen inside of these capsules, Starmen that he knew. Pain beginning to form inside his chest, he looked on upon the unconscious bodies of Jrren, Ruffini, Lllitchel, and Orrick. He walked over to the container that held the sleeping Lllitchel and he laid a tentacle gently onto the glass, above the face.

"Lllitchel…" He whispered.

"Are these your crew mates?" Ness asked quietly, aside.

"Yes, Ness, they are. My second in command, my…Communications officer, My engineer, and my messenger. It is good to see that they are safe, but this…"

A voice flooded the room. This voice had a sort of static echo that gave it the impression that it was words being dictated by a computer. "Captain Starman, your comrades will live. Commander Jrren was needed to extract critical control and override codes for the ship. He was a crucial part of the hijacking of his ship. Ness, I see that you are also in the room. I've been waiting for this day…This day took so much planning, you would not believe it."

Ness spun about in the room, looking for the source of the mechanical voice. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

The voice spoke once more. "Here this, Ness, and Captain Whirrin. The Core is flooded with RN7000 series robots who are switched into active battle mode and will not hesitate to end your pathetic lives."

On cue, a hoard of large bulky red robots made their presence clear. Captain Starman took a step closer to Ness. If there were only one or two, or maybe even an extreme of five RN Series Robots, Captain Whirin would not be concerned. However, they were outnumbered substantially by the drone robots.

"Of course, I need something that has a mind, or at least some of a mind, to keep these clunkers in order," The voice continued. "While I served my former master and savior, Giygas, I gained access to his resources of fighting minions. I was intrigued by the structure of the Starmen species and I requested that Giygas give me a Starman that could function as my personal bodyguard and double as powerhouse on the battlefield.

I was lucky. I received a Starman from Master Giygas, but not just any Starman. This Starman was special, unique. You see, this particular Starman died in a battle near Octon, but his physical frame was still in nearly mint condition. Some of the technicians in Giygas' league managed to modify this Starman and upgrade him. The research resulted in the Ultimate Starman. I would introduce you, Captain Whirrin, but I believe you two have all ready met, Heh…"

A Starman stepped forth from the shadows. The Starman had a strikingly dark complextion to him and the color of his outer coating could nearly be called black. The thing more noticeable other than his shadowed color was the unsual head piece that he wore. It seemed like half of an oval and it had tubes sprouting from the sides whith connected into his shoulders. There were also metalic cuffs on the ends of his tentacles. His left arm seemed to have a strange energy cone fused to its end. His right tentacle cut off about half way through and there was another unit, but this one had a long blade attached to it. 

Captain Starman took a step backwards, not believing what he saw. The Starman standing stiffly in front of him could have been any Starman…But there was a mark on his chest. In the center of his chest there was a zigzag line that seemed to be etched in his skin and was now colored a contrasting shade of white. The scar was identical to the one his brother once bore…

"Brother…Wirrok," Captain Whirrin breathed.

Years ago, when Giygas was trying to overthrow the Homeworld he used a variety of different robot models as soldiers. The Octobots were originally a devastating threat to the Starmen because their pointed tentacles could pierce the outer layers of a Starmen. Both Captain Whirren and his brother Whirrok fought in the initial waves of Octobot forces and luckily Whirrin did not meet up with any injuries. Whirrok, however, did…He had to bear the scar the rest of his life…

Which ended, a year prior at the Octoron outpost. The Octoron planet was a planet filled with Octobots that had suffered glitches, giving them a sense of consciousness. With their free will they rebelled against Giygas and attempted to catch other Octobots so that they could reprogram their freewill, as well. The Octoron octobots had just invented a special type of toxin that proved deadly to Starmen…Whirrok was not able to escape it's life extinguishing powers. Captain Whirrin or any of his famly were never able to see the body of Whirrok, of course. Giygas usually simply vaporized the bodies of the fallen soldiers. 

There had always been whispers that Giygas used the intact corpses of Starmen for horrific experimentation, though he had never believed it. Now as he gazed upon the coldly animated features of his brother, he knew that ever rumor that had circulated around the communication channels at night were true. Whirrok's starlight left him that day at the Octoron Outpost; that was confirmed. 

"He's a lunar shine," Captain Whirrin said painfully.

"A lunar shine?" Ness asked.

"Every Starman has a certain force inside of their bodies-something known as their starlight. This…_Starman…_.If I could even call it that…Used to be my brother….but…my brother lost his starlight a year ago…This…thing that stands before us, it has no starlight. It is like the moon-it does not give off it's own light, it merely reflects light. He is…a lunar shine now…"

Ness' eyes widened with understanding. "A mechanical zombie…"

Captain Starman spun around, angered. He threw his tentacles towards the ceiling angrily and began to wave them. "Hear this, stranger! Whatever race you are, whoever you are, weather or not you served Giygas-you're a twisted, morbid maniac and I won't allow you to control this ship any longer. I want an explanation now. A full one. Tell me who you are, who you work for-everything."

"Calm down," The computer voice hummed. "Perhaps I should come out of cloak about now? No no, that would ruin the surprise. Captain Whirrin, you've been a real dear playing along with me. I guess you do deserve a few answers. I served Giygas, as I've mentioned earlier. However, Giygas is gone now, and in his wake, there is me. Giygas shared technology, shared secrets with me, because he was lonely…But he was an idiot, a lonely idiot. An all mighty idiot, in fact. Biggest idiot I ever met! Now I have the mechanisms to travel through the future, create my own robotic drones…"

A large machine fizzled into existence near them. It had four spidery legs and was heavily armored with strong looking metals protecting it on all sides. There was a large glass like dome revealing the interior of the craft. There was a human man with a chubby face and wrinkles that curled around his smiling lips. 

"Human!" Captain Whirrin exclaimed, amazed.

"Pokey?" Ness asked, quietly.

The man shifted and his great belly gave a shake. "Yes, that was my childhood nickname. Pokey. I shed it rather quickly, of course, after parting with Giygas. Pokey…was not a name that could strike fear into anyone's heart, no matter how young or stupid they were. I need a name that had more…more ring to it. I became Pablo Remmington…However, I soon earned the nickname of the Pig King. Yes, a wonderful name. It is not a usual human name, so that right off the bat my opponents know that I will not act with human compassion. Heck, it worked even more splendidly-I was given the title of the king before I had conquered any land!"

"I think Pig King was a jab at your massive gut, Pokey," Ness growled.

The Pig King's spider mech lunged forward and a cord shot forth from the chest of the mech. It wrapped around Ness and pulled him up to the glass of the mech where he was suddenly staring the Pig King eye to eye.

"I AM THE PIG KING!" The Pig King growled. "I expect to be addressed by no other name, no other title! Pokey is the name of the PAST!"

The loop suddenly slammed Ness into the metallic floor, and then unwound itself and went back into the compartment in the spider mech's chest.

"Now then. I have aged twenty years since our last encounter Ness-however I spent most of those years jumping from one time period to the next.I have in that time met many influential people and amounted some truly stunning weaponry. I have decided that, indeed, Giygas had one part of the plan right in his pathetic world domination plan…The key is attacking in the past! Now, I am here. I will re-enslave the Starmen people, use this mother ship as my base of opertaions, plant my drones into specific governmental positions on the planet, and merge as it's leader."

"I think you've lost your mind, Pig King," Ness spat.

"I agree," Captain Whirrin breathed. "We will stop you before your little empire can claim it's first planet."

"Oh?" The Pig King gave a slow look at the hundreds of RN series drones and Whirrok behind him, then slowly turned his head back towards the captain. He gave him an empathetic shrug.

The Pig King's spider mech snapped out of existence and the hundreds of robotic drones lit up, springing to life. A wave of RN series robots started to march towards Ness and Captain Starman. 

"Ness, try to take out some of these robots. I have…a personal battle to fight," Captain Whirrin ordered to Ness, who nodded in response.

***

Ness hustled to intercept the wave of RN series robots and leaped into the air, his hands spread. He let loose a wave of ice elemental psychic energy that managed to solidify four or five RN robots. The victory was short lived, however, as the RN robots behind the frozen machines stepped forward and emitted beams of heat, melting the ice and allowing the robots to move once more. Ness frowned. This made things a lot tougher on him. One of the RN robots lifted a phase canon and shot a beam of energy and Ness raised a shield but was knocked backwards at the moment of collision.

Ness stood up once more with a determined look upon his face. He once again charged at the mass of RN series drones and this time let loose an explosion of PSI Rockin Omega. Lights from Ness' psychic attack began to strobe, making it difficult to see the results of the attack, but after a few minutes, the light faded back to normal. To his horror, the robots were had only taken minor damage and were still continuing their march towards him.

Ness, enraged, let loose another burst of PSI Rockin Omega and before the light had stopped strobing he radiated another round of PSI Rockin Omega. Ness fell to the floor exhausted. His chest was heaving up and down quickly as he tried to gasp for air and his head reeled with a horrible migraine from the rapid PSI attacks. He scanned the battlefield and found that about a fourth of the drones had collapsed onto the ground with sparks of electricity still spewing from them. He noted that one had even lost it's arm.

Before he could celebrate another wave of RN series drones rallied forward. However, instead of focusing their attention on either Ness or Captain Whirrin, they rushed to their damaged comrades and began inserting hands and wires into them.

_They're repairing them_, Ness realized. 

Ness tried to release another burst of PSI Rockin' Omega, but the damaged RN drones were already repaired and standing again. The Rockin' Omega blast however did knock a few of the repairer RN drones down…But an equal amount of the RN drones that had just finished recovery turned to repair them, too.

_This is impossible,_ Ness screamed in his mind. _There's too many of them…Even if I were to destroy a fourth of these drones in one blow, another fourth would just repair them. This does not look good for me a atll…_

***

Captain Starman approached his brother. "Whirrok, can you understand me?"

Whirrok did not respond to his brother's callings, but a light above his eye visor flashed, as if processing data.

"Those fiends…Look what they've done to you…You're a lunar shine now, brother…"

Again, Whirrok gave no reaction.

"Don't you feel an emptiness inside? Can you feel anything at all? The Pig King mentioned that you still have somewhat of a mind left…Is their a voice inside of their, crying to regain control of it's own body? Or is just a computer program now?"

"You can understand too, brother," Whirrok stated icily. "You can understand when you too become a lunar shine."

__

"No!" Captain Starman shouted and lunged a tentacle towards Whirrok's scar.

Whirrok blocked the attack with his sword tentacle. There was a soft humming and then his sword became electrified with synthetic concentrated psychic energy, giving Captain Whirrin a jolt. Whirrin curled his slightly burnt tentacle into his chest and raised his other arm and began firing with his phase cone. The beams of energy merely bounced off of the mechanical zombie as it was made apparent that a powerful psychic shield covered him.

Captain Whirrin put his tentacles together and began to concentrate. Suddenly thousands of swirls of light shot from his eye visors as he used the power of Starstorm Omega. The swirls of light began to pound into Whirrok at alarming speed and he lost his balance and toppled over. He seemed injured, but knew that his brother could never go down so easily. Whirrok slowly returned to his feet. The light above his eye visor began to flash a blood red shade and put his tentacles together. He too used Starstorm Omega.

Captain Whirrin toppled over onto his back from the barrage of swirling lights. He was shocked. Whirrin was renown for his strength in psychic attacks and had never met his match. Even when his brother still had his starlight and the two had trained together, his brother was never capable of such extraordinary powers. His powers had to of been amplified by his robotic modifications somehow…

The Pig King was right…This was truly the ultimate Starman.

Captain Starman rose to his feet, looking on at his brother in disbelief. He could not survive many more of these PSI Starstorm attacks but he had a feeling his brother could stand through plenty more. As he was trying to formulate a plan, Ness ran to his side, distraught.

"Captain Whirrin, these RN drones…There's too many of them. Even if we were to use our greatest techniques on the hoard at one time, the ones in reserve would repair them!"

Captain Whirrin took a step backwards. "The news doesn't get better…Whirrok has superior psychic abilities. I don't think either of us could compete with that…machine…"

The spider mech of the Pig King materialized nearby Ness and the Captain and the gleeful mood of the rotund man was apparent. He was clapping his chubby hands and laughing maniacally.

"Yes, yes, that's it! Fight on! Fight on against overwhelming odds, fight on for that impossible chance of victory! Show me the spirit of the humans, show me the spirit of the Starmen! I want to see the true powers that come out of desperation!," The Pig King cackled.

Captain Starman turned slowly towards the Pig King, his gaze stone hard. "We've been waiting for freedom for so long now, Pig King. We will not allow our freedom to be snatched away by some would be dictator the instant our chains our cut!"

The Pig King guffawed. "Beautifully said, but so incredibly false! The Starmen will be enslaved, for that is their destiny! Now fight, fight for your liberty! I want to see a death of honor!"

"No," Captain Whirrin breathed. "I will not play your games any longer. I've been playing your games all day long and I'm sick of it."

"Giving up?" The Pig King clucked. "My, my, my…I'm disappointed. I expected a little bit more gusto in the fabled Captain Starman, but I guess I had the wrong impression. Oh well. Either way, the Starmen shall become my slaves."

"No," Captain Whirrin repeated. He held out the arm that had his phase cone on it and pointed it towards the core. "I'll fire this phase cone at a level of 300 at the core, destroying this ship, all of your RN series drones, and even my lunar shine brother."

Ness was stunned.

The Pig King remained unphased. "Honestly, Captain Whirrin, that's a rather pathetic gesture. I know that you have a reputation for being a little brash and maybe even a little reckless at times, but even you wouldn't endanger your crew. Certainly you couldn't live with the thought of the deaths of all your comrades?'

"I could, and will. You don't understand Pig King. You don't understand the Starmen at all. A long time ago, we, the Starmen as a species decided that we would tough out the occupation. However, I am not holding the responsibility of a decision effect the lives of my species-only the lives of those on this ship. My Ship. I will not subject my comrades to slavery again! I will destroy you so that my people will not have to suffer that horrible fate any longer!"

The Pig King clapped his hands slowly, with pauses in-between intervals. "You're a wonderful speaker, Captain Starman. But I have you figured out. I know you're all talk."

"Really?" Captain Whirrin mused.

Captain Whirrin fired his phase cone at the core, at maximum setting. The greenish glow of the core erupted into a dazzling array of psychedelic colors. The core no longer flowed with rhythm and balance but instead shook chaotically. The container that held the core began to pulse, as if it's contents were trying to burst out.

"Five minutes until Core Explosion," An automated voice cooed. 

The Pig King was stunned. He paused with his jaw hanging open in pure shock. "You…you're a fool! You…You may think you've won, but you haven't! No, you've lost! I can teleport away, and live to fight another day while you burst into flames! Your death will be insignificant, Captain Whirrin! Let me be the first, only, and last person to tell you that you faded from life without meaning! Good day!"

The Pig King frantically started to press buttons on the control pad inside his spider mech and then abruptly vanished. One by one each of the RN series drones started to glow and then they too disappeared. Whirrok started to glow and seemed to fade out of existence, but then snapped back into solidity in the core room. He took a few steps towards Captain Whirrin and extended his blade arm until it was level with Whirrin's eye. 

"Brother…" Whirrok breathed without emotion.

In an instant, Whirrok too faded from existence. Ness looked up at Captain Whirrin.

"Well, we've gotten Pokey and his lackeys off your ship, but it looks like we're done for. I'm sorry I ever misjudged you, Captain Whirrin…It was nice meeting you."

Captain Whirrin took off running towards the capsules that contained his crew mates. He looked over his shoulder and yelled, "It's not quite over yet, Ness! We still have four and a half minutes until the unstable core explodes!"

He halted in front of the capsules and fired his disrupter cone at each capsule, causing several small explosions. Orrick and Lllitchel opened their eyes suddenly and after a surprised glance around, leaped from their former prisons. Captain Whirrin, relieved that his shipmates were unharmed, turned his weapon towards the containers that held Ruffini and Jrren captive and destroyed them too.

"Four minutes until Core explosion," The computer blurted calmly.

"Core explosion? My god captain, what have you done to my beauty?" Orrick cried as he ran towards a control panel in front of the core.

"Can you fix it?" Captain Whirrin inquired.

"Maybe," Orrick grunted, deep in concentration. "It's highly unstable at the moment but it seems all I have to do is funnel out the contaminated energy…That's odd…I detect energy from a phase cone, one set at level 300…Captain, I believe you are the only Starman aboard with a phase cone that goes that high…"

"I'll explain everything later," Whirrin muttered.

Orrick went to work at his station, madly inserting his tentacles into nodes, retracting them, and them inserting them into other panels. Captain Whirrin and Ness approached the rest of the senior staff and Ruffini. The other Starmen were a little surprised to see a human aboard their ship, but none of them were concerned enough to voice their surprise.

"Lllitchel…Are you all right?" Whirrin asked with a level of concern in his voice.

"Yes, Captain…I feel groggy, though…Like I've been awakened from a deep sleep before I was finished…"

"I'm fine too, captain," Jrren sneered. "Although I see you have your priorities elsewhere."

"Jrren! It's good to see you're unharmed," Whirrin breathed, hoping to avoid the implied conversation.

"Captain!" Ruffini squealed. "What do we do now?"

Captain Whirrin turned towards Orrick, who was still busy at the control panel. "Now, we wait…"

"That's it?" Ruffini asked, nervous. "There isn't anything else we can do? We're defenseless?"

"Not entirely," Ness spoke up. "I don't know how much faith you Starmen have, or if you even have a religion…But down on earth, when things look bad, we pray. We pray that it'll all work out."

Lllitchel radiated a smile. "Yes, let us pray." 

Captain Whirrin joined a tentacle with Ness's hand, and then linked his other tentacle with Lllitchel. Lllitchel joined tentacles with a reluctant Jrren who linked with an even more reluctant Ruffini. They each bowed their heads…

"One minute until Core Explosion," the computer noted, without hint of concern.

"Captain, it seems to be working. I'm going to jettison the disrupter cone energy into Earth's atmosphere," Orrick announced.

"Earth's atmosphere-" Ness protested, but was cut off by Orrick.

"Don't worry little human, it'll dissipate quickly."

A horrible hissing noise entered the room.

"Seventy percent drained," Orrick called.

"50 seconds until core explosion," The computer reminded.

"Sixty Percent drained…"

"40 seconds until core explosion…"

"50 percent drained…"

"30 seconds until core explosion…"

"35 percent remaining…I'll see if I can speed up the process, captain…"

"20 seconds until core explosion…"

"15 percent remaining…"

"10 seconds until core explosion…"

"2 percent remaining…"

"Five seconds until core explosion…"

"One percent left, captain…"

"Core explosion averted."

Everybody gave a cheer. Orrick retracted his tentacles from the console and held his head as he tried to catch his breath. Without warning Lllitchel jumped forward and embraced Orrick, surprising him. He brushed her off and politely took a tentacle of hers and shook with the hint of a smile.

"We did it, Captain! We did it!" Ruffini squealed enthusiastically. 

"Yes…" Captain Starman nodded.

Lllitchel's attention turned towards the human child. "Captain, isn't it about time we returned this little lost boy home?"

Whirrin placed a tentacle on Ness' shoulder. "This is no lost boy-this is Ness, the one whom destroyed the universal cosmic destroyer Giygas."

Each of the senior officers and Ruffini turned to stare at the boy. Ness's face suddenly turned a little redder.

"Err…Hi…"

Orrick turned to Ness. "I'd be more than happy to return you home, Ness, but I'm afraid our ship's a little…tired at the moment. We have some repairs that need taking care of…Would you mind staying just a tad longer?"

"It wouldn't be a problem at all. Do you think you'll be able to repair the roof of my house, eventually?"

The Starmen exchanged glances and then Ness added, "While the Pig King was in control of the mothership, he carved out a hole in the roof so that he could abduct me."

"Well, if our mothership is to blame, then we'll certainly help in the repairs. I have some work to attend to…Ruffini. Show our boy Ness to the Officers lounge," Captain Starman said.

"Aye, captain!" Ruffini nodded.

***

A week had passed since the incident with the Pig King. Ness had returned to his home hours after the encounter with Pokey and the mothership was hovering in a low altitude behind Ness' house. The ship was in top condition once more and the Starmen from around the planet had gathered near the mothership and were now in their own civilian ships. The forcefield that would tow the civilian ships was set up and working and the Mothership was ready to start its long voyage back to the Homeworld. There was only one last matter of business before the mothership departed.

Captain Starman greeted Orrick at a hatch located at the end of one of the axial hallways. Orrick had a metal box filled with tools attached to his chest and nodded at the sight of his captain. Orrick placed a tentacle into a panel by the hatch and made some adjustments. The hatch opened and a small oval of red light appeared in front of it. Captain Whirrin and Orrick stepped onto the oval and it began to slowly descend unto the ground. 

Ness, from the hole in his ceiling, could see that Captain Whirrin and Orrick were making their way to the house. He ran from his room and excitedly called towards his sister Tracey and his mother to meet him in the back lawn. Even King got up to see what the big deal was about. After the oval of light collided wit the ground, Captain Starman and Orrick stepped off and moved to greet the humans.

"Captain Starman," Ness' mom stammered. "It's a, a pleasure to meet you again…And I see you brought a, um, friend with you. What's his name? Or her name?"

Orrick gave a bow and then extended a tentacle and Ness's mom gave it a reluctant shake. 

"I am Orrick," Orrick stated. "Ma'am, I hear that there is a hole in your ceiling. I'm here to repair it."

"Oh my, a gentleman…Err…Or is it gentlewoman?"

"Gentleman," Orrick corrected politely and then went into the house.

"Whirrin…" Ness said quietly while looking at the captain.

"Well, Ness. I think we're about ready to push off. We're a week behind schedule on our mission to return to our Homeworld. I think we'll still make it, though. Orrick's a miracle worker. If there's any way for the mothership to move even a second faster, he'll find it."

"What are you going to do when you get there?" Ness asked.

"My people have many issues to take care of. We have a society to rebuild, after all. But…there's more. During our enslavement to Giygas, we were forced to do some pretty horrific things. We'll have to extend tentacles of peace to every species we have wronged, for that is the Starman's way. I'm happy to see that our mission of peace begins right here at your house, Ness. Let the fixing of your ceiling be a gesture of peace between our worlds."

"Thank you," Ness mumbled. "Do you think you'll ever come back to earth?"

"It's a possibility," Captain Whirrin admitted. "Not for a while, at least, though."

"It sounds like you're going to have such an interesting adventure…I admit I'm a little jealous. I wish I could go with you. You'll have to come back some day and swap stories, all right?"

"Ness, ness, ness…" Captain Whirrin laughed. "You truly are young. You're still a restless and adventurous spirit…You haven't quite yet grasped the true beauty of the pauses between journeys. Don't worry, though. I'll try to make it back here someday, even if I have to take a personal leave."

"Promise?" Ness asked.

"Promise." Captain Starman responded.

Orrick re-entered the back yard and approached the circle of humans and Whirrin. "I've repaired the ceiling. The patch on your roof is colored to blend in with the rest of your roofing, but it is actually composed of the same element our mothership is made of. I can assure you, no weapon your species currently posses or any force of nature could tear that patch."

Ness's mom laughed. "Thank you, Orrick. You're truly a dear."

Orrick radiated a smile and gave one last bow. He looked at Captain Whirrin, who nodded. The two said their good byes and then returned to the oval of light and started to ascend back to their mothership. They noticed that Ness' family was waving farewell and the two Starmen decided to mimic the gesture until they were forced to enter the hatch.

The mothership glowed a little yellow, and then in an instant, it took off towards the sky. It was moving quickly and it only stayed in eyesight for half a minute or so more. Ness' family paused, waiting to see if anything else would happen. After a few minutes Tracey and Ness's mother went back inside. King had all ready left an untold time ago and was lazily sleeping underneath the couch.

Ness remained, though. His eyes were still captivated at the point in the sky where he had last seen the mothership.

"Godspeed, friends, Godspeed," Ness whispered.


End file.
